


The Loneliness of the Ocean

by shooponthemoon



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, First Kiss, First Meetings, Hate to Love, Kidnapping, M/M, Pirates, Princes & Princesses, Prompt Fic, Secrets, Sloppy Makeouts, Swordfighting, Swords
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-10 17:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4400225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shooponthemoon/pseuds/shooponthemoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Pirate Aomine and Prince Kagami!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Capture

**Author's Note:**

> this one is great! love this idea!!! mmm I'm breaking it up into a few parts just so I can motivate myself to finish, by having 3 shorter parts to write for the idea that I have instead of one long one haha
> 
> hope you like it! will definitely have lost of making out in part 3 hehe ;D

Kagami had lost track of days since he’d been kidnapped and brought onboard the pirates’ ship. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? By now he had stopped caring, had stopped waiting, had stopped _hoping_ for a rescue. It was his fate to stay there, a prisoner, wasting away until he would no doubt die at sea, killed by the pirate captain’s hand.

 

~~~

 

Captain Aomine was a handsome and charming man, with enviable tanned skin and midnight-blue locks of hair. The ladies would swoon over him every time they stopped at one of their many usual pirate-safe ports, and the men would either be jealous or swooning along with the ladies.

Though his crew did rather well from pillaging merchant ships from the various local kingdoms, Captain Aomine thirsted for the true riches to be found in the Rakuzan Empire. The heart of the empire sat upon one of the most ore and mineral-abundant soils, meaning their mines constantly provided high-quality metals for their blacksmiths and pristine precious gems for their jewellers.

Though Captain Aomine could always attack a Rakuzan ship in order to obtain his prize, he knew the sacrifice would be too great: the merchant ships always travelled in pairs and were heavily armed thanks to the Royal Treasure Guard the king had put in place to protect the Empire’s most precious resource.

So Captain Aomine had had to devise another plan for getting what he wanted from the Empire.

Surely the king would give them whatever they desired for the safe return of his son, the prince and heir?

~~~

Later, Captain Aomine would kick himself for not realizing why. But it _had_ been incredibly easy for him and his few crewmates to sneak into the Rakuzan Palace’s western wing, Aomine himself repelling down into the open window of the prince’s bedroom. Taking a moment to look around and get his bearings, he noticed how plainly the place was decorated, as if the prince had few possession he kept there. Captain Aomine was surprised by the lack of extravagance, but even more so by the size of the figure who was fast asleep in the large bed.

According to their research, the redheaded prince was said to be in his early twenties and skilled at fencing and learning foreign languages, though his fear of animals made him a terrible horseback rider. Aomine had expected some skinny prissy guy who spent his days being pampered and tutored and never dirtied his hands going outside, but this guy… not only did he seem tall, maybe as tall as Aomine even, but he was _big_. He had a bulk that betrayed strong muscles, and the tanned captain had to wonder what he did in his spare time to get that kind of physique.

He had to stifle a laugh at seen the guy’s weird eyebrows and the drool that was dripping from his sleeping mouth, however. He looked almost… _cute_ , but Captain Aomine quickly shook those thoughts from his head as his crewmates finally joined him, his first mate Momoi using chloroform on a rag to ensure that the prince would stay asleep.

They then quickly bound and gagged him. The redheaded prince was easily hoisted over the shoulder of Wakamatsu, a huge barbarian who had long ago lost a duel against Aomine after challenging the captain to a fight to the death and was now indebted to him for his life being spared. The group quickly left from the window and fled from palace, quietly congratulating each other on their successful venture.

~~~

The sight of the angry prince bound and at his feet was more enjoyable than Captain Aomine was ready to admit. The redhead had a nice bruise blossoming on his cheek from being hit while trying to escape for the third time that day. Their ship was quickly sailing away from Rakuzan, so there really wasn’t anywhere for him to escape _to_ , out in the middle of the ocean as they were. And yet, the fuming redhead persisted.

“I really can’t see what you’re hoping to achieve,” Aomine drawled as he sat sprawled in his chair before taking a juicy bite out of a green apple, taunting the prince who had not been fed as punishment for trying to escape.

“Fuck you,” the prince spat, prompting Wakamatsu to backhand him across the face.

“Well whatever, doesn’t really matter to me,” Aomine said with a grin and a shrug. “First Mate Momoi, are we ready to write that ransom letter yet?”

“We’re a safe distance from Rakuzan now Captain, so I believe we should do so without further delay,” she replied, sitting down and pulling out a stationary set.

“Perfect. Don’t forget to add that we want their best swords as well as the treasure,” reminded the blue-haired pirate before turning back to his prisoner. He stood up and pulled a small dagger from where it was hidden within his sleeve and roughly grabbed the prince by his red hair. “We’ll also need a little proof of life, don’t you think?”

The prince growled as a lock of hair was cut and tossed Momoi’s way before he was dropped back down to the floor, knees thudding painfully on the hardwood.

It only took the pink-haired woman a few minutes to finish up the letter before sealing it in an envelope along with the lock of red hair. The message was attached to the ship’s hawk, who was then launched up into the air where it circled around the ship a few times before darting away back in the direction they were sailed from.

“Now, First Mate Momoi, why don’t we go back to port and pick up Tetsu, shall we?” the captain began. The pink-haired woman broke her usual serious composure to squeal with delight and give the tanned man a quick hug, and he blushed and quickly looked away to prevent it from being seen.

“Ahem, as I was saying… Tetsu still has that big dog of his, right?” Aomine asked, smirking when he saw the prince flinch at the mention of an animal. “I think he’s just what we need to keep this brat in line. Throw him back into the prison cell, Wakamatsu! And all sails set to Touou! We’re going home, boys!”

As his crew cheered, Captain Aomine smiled and locked eyes with the prince, who was still giving him a defiant glare.

Aomine grinned. He was going to have oh-so-much fun breaking him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: I lied there's now 4 parts so the kissing... will happen at some point but not in chapter 3 :P


	2. The Scent of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami remains captive aboard Captain Aomine's ship, and his time there is far from pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blehhh not so happy with this but whatever  
> piratesss

It was absolutely delightful having Tetsu back on board, or at least Aomine thought so. His faithful companion Nigou, who had grown up to be quite a large and energetic dog, was helping them keep the prince under guard, and no further attempts of escape had been made as the redhead tried to stay well away from Nigou.

Satsuki also spent a lot less time bothering the captain when Tetsu was around, since she was absolutely smitten with the guy and spent as much time with him as she could. It also meant she, and in turn Aomine, had to spend less time disciplining the crew since they were all slightly afraid of the small, light-blue-haired man thanks to rumours about him being some sort of elite assassin.

So all in all, Captain Aomine was enjoying his time home at port while they waited for a reply to their ransom demand. The blue-haired man spent a lot of time in his evenings walking around the shadier parts of town, pretty much daring people to try and attack him so he could enjoy the thrill of practicing his sword fighting against people he didn’t have to bother being careful not to wound.

After a week with no reply, however, Captain Aomine was starting to grow restless. And that meant he started getting pretty irritable and quick to anger, sometimes verbally lashing out at any crewmember nearby. When the first mate got wind of his bad attitude she came to knock some sense into him, and though it helped calm his head a little he still had no outlet to vent his growing frustration.

That’s when he remembered the look of those beautifully angry red eyes. Grinning in anticipation, Captain Aomine made his way below deck to where the prisoner was being kept.

The tanned man kept himself entertained for weeks simply by forcing Kagami to do all manner of arduous or humiliating tasks, including cleaning out the urinals, polishing the entire deck with a cloth only barely larger than his hand, shining Aomine’s boots while he sat feasting on an extravagant meal, and even having the redhead accompany him to the market, gagged and collared with a sign on his back that read: “Village idiot. Do not feed.” Aomine relished the look of deep-burning hatred in the redhead’s eyes, and the prince’s defiant nature just encouraged Aomine to keep pushing his prisoner to his limits.

Quite frankly, Captain Aomine was having so much fun torturing the poor prince that he had all but forgotten about the ransom demand when his hawk finally returned a month after the kidnapping, battered and looking quite worse for wear. There was a small note attached, hardly a sentence but it was enough to make Aomine seethe with anger:

_Rakuzan does not make deals with pirates._

There wasn’t even a signature to the message, as if the King of whoever had written it couldn’t even be bothered to care. Aomine tore the note to shreds, absolutely fuming at the total disrespect he had been shown.

“OI! SATSUKI!” Aomine roared, and his first mate came running to see what was wrong. “Prepare the crew; we set sail tonight. I think it’s about time we have another raid, don’t you?”

~~~

Kagami wasn’t quite sure what had changed with the captain; one day he was laughing and making fun of him as he pushed him around, and the next he was cold and unsmiling, barely sparing a glance in his direction.

By now the redhead no longer stayed locked below deck, being tasked with cleaning duties and always having Nigou around to keep an eye on him. It was strange for Kagami to admit it, but he actually started to miss having the tanned captain’s attention and going out with him into town, even if he was always forced to wear ridiculous things. Now they had set sail for who-knew-where, and the captain stayed silent and alone up in his quarters, only ever getting visits from that pink-haired woman, his first mate, when she brought him food or updates on their progress.

When they finally came across another ship, one flying the blue flag of the Kaijou kingdom, Kagami was ushered back down to his cell as the crew burst into life all around him, men and women racing to arm themselves and readying the cannons for battle. The redhead just managed to spot a glimpse of the captain finally emerging onto the deck, dressed in his rich black and red coat and swords at the ready, before he was shoved below deck and kindlessly brought back to his cell and locked in.

Experiencing the battle from below deck was thoroughly unpleasant for Kagami. He had no idea what was going on, whose cries he was hearing, whose bullets were being shot, whose sword was slaying who. He jumped every time the blast of canon fire rang out, the sound echoing in his tiny chamber like the roar of a beast. When the battle was finally over, Kagami feared for a moment that everyone had perished and that he would be left to die, locked in his prison cell until he wasted away.

But all of a sudden that short, light-blue-haired man appeared, dog at his heels, and he unlocked the door and passed Kagami a bucket of soapy water and some rags.

“There’s blood on the deck that needs to be cleaned. The crew will be feasting tonight in celebration of our victory, so the captain wants it done before suppertime.” Kagami nodded and headed back up, wincing at the smell of blood that hit his nose the moment he stepped outside.

Bodies in blue uniforms were being tossed overboard as the merchant ship sank in the distance, fire spewing from the few bits still above water. For the most part the pirates seemed in good shape, though a few had cuts that were being attended to by the ship’s physician, some shifty-looking dark-haired guy wearing spectacles.

Kagami sat and got down to work, trying not to gag at the sight and smell of blood and gunpowder that permeated the air. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to go through this again soon, and wondered if there was _any_ chance that the King of Rakuzan would send somebody to try and rescue him.

~~~

Unfortunately for the prisoner, Captain Aomine spent the next few weeks ruthlessly hunting down and attacking merchant ships, going from kingdom to kingdom to avoid getting caught in one place for too long. Kagami quickly grew sickened of cleaning blood off the deck, and that coupled with the continued cold shoulder from the captain pushed him almost to his breaking point. He was constantly tired, hungry, wet, and lonely, and he either spent the day doing absolutely nothing in his cell or slaving away with cleaning supplies.

Soon Kagami lost hope, just like he lost track of the passage of time since he’d been kidnapped. It had been ridiculous to think that he would be rescued. Kagami knew that the truth would come out eventually, and he almost hoped that in his anger the captain would take the swing and end his life, finally freeing him from his misery.

~~~

The day Captain Aomine finally decided to acknowledge Kagami’s existence again, the redhead knew the stagnant days of nothingness were at an end, for better or for worse.

Kagami once again found himself bound and at the captain’s feet, though this time he hardly had the energy to raise his head and meet the man’s deep blue gaze. He simply sat there with hunched shoulders and tired eyes.

“So what I don’t get,” began Captain Aomine, seething anger poisoning his words, “is why nobody cares enough about you to bother paying a simple ransom. Surely the prince’s life is worth a few swords and jewels? One would hope… So I figured I’d wait, you know? Until someone comes looking for you? Except now I realize that even if they were, well, they can’t catch up with a ship like ours, let alone find us. But, that’s if they’re even looking. Because I bet those Rakuzan bastards don’t even believe us; I bet they think you’re either dead or not with us at all, because a strand of red hair is probably not enough for them, right? So that’s why we’re taking things right to them; give them a glimpse of you to see that we mean business, and maybe I can _finally_ have my fucking treasure.”

Kagami tensed when he heard the captain’s plan, lifting his gaze and seeing just how dead serious the man was. He almost flinched at the hard look in the other’s eyes, as if the redhead was nothing more than a piece of filth to be thrown away.

“Satsuki, how far are we from their fleet?” the captain asked without shifting his gaze.

“We should catch up to them in a couple of hours, sir. I doubt they’ve seen us yet; we only spotted them because there’s three large ships, and their hulls have some sort of bright white paint on them.”

 _No no no, it’s them!_ Kagami’s breath froze, terror starting to constrict his chest. Three white ships sailing together in formation? They could be none other than the king’s ruthless group of pirate-hunters who guarded the borders of Rakuzan’s sea. If Captain Aomine’s ship came anywhere close to within range, it would not be a negotiation—it would be a _bloodbath_. And Kagami had had enough of blood to last him a lifetime.

“You can’t!” he gasped, barely more than a fearful whisper, but it seemed like the tanned man had heard him. The Captain’s boots clicked as he rose from his chair and took the redhead’s chin in a bruising grip, tilting his head up so that he couldn’t look away from those deadly blue eyes.

“Oh? You think that my pirates, who have done nothing but pillage and fight and _win_ battles for the past few weeks, would lose to a few of Rakuzan’s merchants and their pathetic guard dogs? Or that I, Captain Aomine Daiki, greatest swordsman of the sea, would back down from such a challenge when my prize is so close at hand? Think again, brat!” he spat before shoving Kagami back to the ground.

“Those aren’t merchants, they’re pirate hunters!” he gasped, desperate to get the blue-haired man to just _listen_ to him.

“A worthy opponent, then. Perhaps this will be interesting for once,” the captain retorted with a smirk.

“Please, you have to listen! They won’t engage in battle, they’ll just blast your ship out of the water and slaughter anyone who still stands! They won’t negotiate! We’ll all die!” Kagami cried out, breaths rapid as his pleas became frantic.

“We’ll make them negotiate, we have their damn prince!” the blue-haired man growled. Kagami shuddered, tears threatening to fall as he lowered his head.

“No, you don’t. I am worthless to you, and worthless as a bargaining chip—I am not the real prince of Rakuzan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that my **crossover fic giveaway** , which would be a lot like the fic I wrote [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4386380) (Knb/One Piece crossover), is now live for my followers on tumblr!
> 
>  **All you have to do to be entered to win is[reblog this post!](http://shooponthemoon.tumblr.com/post/124868049359/shooponthemoons-500-follower-crossover-fic)** Please also read the rules and restrictions so you have a better idea of what to expect from the giveaway.  
>  There are extra entries for people who subscribe to me here on AO3 and who frequently comment on my fics: all you have to do is reblog the post then send me a message with your AO3 pseud to ask for extra entries!


	3. New Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despair. Solitude. Self-loathing.  
> Somebody save these two from themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahahaha it's been a while :P  
> also noticed how I did that thing where I updated a chapter but also added a chapter to the number of chapters expected? yeah woopsies sorry didn't manage to finish this time around :P
> 
> but I mean you guys get more content in the end so I guess apart from the wait it's not so bad haha

“ _What_ did you just say?”

There was ice in his voice and a deadly storm in those dark blue eyes as the captain glared down at Kagami, hands fisted at his sides.

“I-I am not the prince of Rakuzan, not even a prince at all. I guess I’m really a scapegoat for him now, but I grew up as Prince Akashi’s whipping boy after being kidnapped and taken from my tribe. I’m not even from Rakuzan, I’m from Seirin! I’m worthless, I swear to you, and if you try to use me as a bargaining chip they will laugh in your face before they blast you to pieces,” Kagami finished, voice hiccupping through the tears that were starting to fall despite his best efforts.

With his gaze still glued to the floor, Kagami was unable to tell what kind of expression the captain was making, or how close he was to hitting him out of anger, but he could definitely sense the menacing power of his aura grow as the man’s rage continued to swell.

“Tetsu, is he telling the truth?” was all the captain said, his tone even and his words clipped, and the quiet man stepped forward, making Kagami flinch since he hadn’t even known the guy was in the room.

“I do believe so. I have travelled to Seirin once before, and though it’s quite a ways away, their people have been attacked by Rakuzan in the past and do not speak fondly of the empire. Kagami was always… taller than what I’d expected, from my memories of spotting the prince as a boy, so his explanations makes a lot of sense to me.”

The captain growled angrily before turning back to the quietly sobbing redhead.

“You _lied_ to me. You have been lying, to all of us, this _entire_ time.” The laugh that the captain gave was the complete opposite of amused. “And here I was, thinking I finally had a shot at getting my treasure. You truly are absolutely _worthless_. Throw him back in his cell, let’s get out of here and back to port. I’m sick of this place.”

Rough hands grabbed Kagami and all but dragged him back to his prison cell, tossing him in roughly and adding a few good kicks to ensure that the man was well and truly suffering.

When sleep finally, mercifully claimed Kagami that night, the salty tears were only just drying on his cheeks, and he lay curled in a ball on the floor, not even having bothered to lift himself from where he’d been discarded like trash.

~~~

Kagami slowly let himself sink into a dark pit of despair and depression. He listed about in his room all day, barely eating or drinking, and hardly actually sleeping, spending most of his time in a dazed, exhausted trance.

After a couple of weeks of this, some of his regular guards who’d been growing fond of him, Kuroko included, were starting to get seriously worried about their prisoner, and when the quiet man brought it up with the first mate, she immediately feared their captive was at risk of killing himself, or more likely just letting himself die, due to his state of mind.

“Tetsu! We need to get him out of that room and moving again!” she whispered worriedly as the two peered in at Kagami’s motionless form.

“I’m not sure we’ll manage to convince Aomine to agree to that…” Kuroko sighed.

“Oh, Daiki is being just as stubborn and moody as Kagami!” she huffed. “He hasn’t left his room either, and probably won’t for a while, so he doesn’t even have to know.” She shared a smile with Kuroko, but it quickly faded. “I’m worried about the two of them, Tetsu… and they had been getting along so well for a while too.”

“As well as a captive and his kidnapper could, I supposed,” Kuroko teased, but he shared her worries. “Come on, let’s go get Kiyoshi, I’m sure he’ll find something to do with Kagami.”

~~~

“See? I told you with practice we’d train the fencin’ right outta ya!” laughed Kiyoshi with a giant smile. “Now this, _this_ is real sword fightin’!”

Kagami returned his smile as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. In just a few weeks, the tall, kind-hearted man had managed to slowly draw Kagami from his secluded state, getting him back above deck and challenging his skills with a sword. Though the redhead was indeed talented, he only really knew the formal, regulated style unique to fencing, and it was of no real use to him out here on the sea, so a few members of the crew, led by Kiyoshi and his ever-present smile, had been sparring with him and giving him tips on how to properly fight with a sword.

It had taken a while at first to get Kagami to emerge from the cell, Kiyoshi spending many days sitting at his side, telling him stories from his own childhood growing up in Seirin. It was the day the man spoke of the terror of the Rakuzan raids that Kagami had finally stirred, Kiyoshi’s warm tears as he talked of the death of his parents prompting the other to sit up and offer a shoulder to cry on. They hadn’t talked of the exchange since, the moment a private one that had passed and had fulfilled its purpose, but Kagami felt grateful towards the man and the few in the crew that still treated him with kindness, or at least a decent measure of basic respect.

Today Kagami could proudly say he had gotten the hang of swordfighting, and was actually quite good at it, now that he’d broken all the old habits he’d had from fencing. He and Kiyoshi sparred for a couple more hours, their training only ending when Kagami finally dealt a winning hit, their accrued group of spectators cheering at his accomplishment, First Mate Momoi loudest of all.

There was a sudden bang as the door leading to the captain’s cabin burst open, a less-than-pleased Aomine standing in the doorway. Though he seemed put off by the noise and by the sight of Kagami, his gaze was rather dull and uncaring, as if the world outside was just as boring as he’d expected it to be.

“Dai—Captain Aomine!” exclaimed the first mate, happy to see her friend out and about again, but still immensely worried about his well-being. “We’ve been training Kagami to test his skill, and—”

“What, you think this worthless prisoner could be useful as a crew member or something? Don’t make me laugh…” the captain sneered before turning as if to go back into his cabin.

“I _am_ good at swordfighting!” growled Kagami, sick of being treated like dirt now that he’d regained a small sense of purpose. “I bet someday I’ll even be better than you!”

A few crew members gasped at the clear challenge, and the captain paused at the threshold.

“Oh really?”

Quick as a cat, the captain turned on his heel and leapt down to the main deck, the crew who were milling about instantly scattering out of his way, leaving the captain and his challenger alone in the center of the space. Drawing his sword in one smooth motion, Aomine darted forward and quickly closed the gap between them, steel clashing as Kagami moved to parry the captain’s first attack.

The fight didn’t last long, Kagami being completely unused to the man’s speed and surprising strength—Kiyoshi had been strong, yes, but Kagami had _expected_ it from a man of his extreme stature—and not having sufficient training to move in the natural, almost instinctual way Aomine did with a sword in his hand.

Soon Kagami was laying on the deck, sweat soaking his shirt and the tip of Aomine’s sword pointing at his throat. He closed his eyes, fearing that any of his deep, heavy breaths could be his last, but the finishing blow never came. He opened his eyes when he heard the distinctive sound of the captain’s boots walking away.

“Not absolute rubbish, but you’re nowhere near my level. As if you could delude yourself into thinking you could be my equal, let alone surpass me,” the man scoffed as he sheathed his sword.

“I’m gonna be the best, just you watch, you bastard,” Kagami managed to spit out between sucking in great gulps of air. The captain gave a quick bark of a laugh.

“The day you beat me with the sword is the day you’ll walk again as a free man. But mark my words, it will never happen.”

Despite the ache in his body and the fear and adrenaline slowly draining out of his system, Kagami grinned at that, knowing that the chance at freedom, revenge and the highest of achievements was now well within his grasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing about pirates just puts me in the mood to finally write some zosans haha
> 
> but for now there's a bunch of AoKaga fics I still haven't updated, and school starts this week... ugh

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: the giveaway is already finished, but here's **my tumblr,[shooponthemoon](http://shooponthemoon.tumblr.com/)** , if you want to follow for fic updates, and I've been doing an ask meme and giving little bits of inside info about my different fics if you want to check out the newest posts in [this tag](http://shooponthemoon.tumblr.com/tagged/ask_meme)


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